Four US citizens who crossed the US-Mexico border for a medical procedure were kidnapped in Mexico on Friday after a confrontation between armed groups.
On Monday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed at a press conference that four Americans were abducted by groupson March 3, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, near the Rio Grande and southern US border with Brownsville, Texas.
The group crossed into Mexico in a white van with North Carolina license plates, before they were fired at and taken by armed gunman,per the FBI. An unnamed US official told CNN that the Americans may not have been the intended targets.
"We are paying attention," Obrador said at a press conference on Monday."The information we have is that they were from the US and crossed the border to buy medicine in Mexico.There was a confrontation between groups and they were detained. All of the government is working on it."
On Tuesday, Mexican officials confirmed two of the Americans were found dead. The two survivors were rescued in Tamaulipas.
The FBI offered $50,000 reward for the return of the victims, and the arrest of the kidnappers.
Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement on Tuesday confirming the FBI "immediately contacted" Mexican law enforcement and security partners in an attempt to locate the victims after learning that the four Americans were attacked.
The two surviving Americans are receiving medical treatment back in the US, Garland said.
"The Justice Department will be relentless in pursuing justice on their behalf," Garland said Tuesday."We will do everything in our power to identify, find, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack on American citizens."
US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said that a Mexican citizen was killed during the confrontation.
"On Friday, March 3rd, unknown assailants in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, violently kidnapped at gunpoint four US citizens in an incident in which an innocent Mexican citizen was tragically killed," Ken Salazar, the US ambassador to Mexico said in a statement."US law enforcement officials from numerous agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to secure the safe return of our compatriots."
A woman driving by witnessed the confrontation, and said two of the van's occupants were dragged out, accordingto The Associated Press.
The Gulf cartel has a heavy presence in Matamoros, where kidnappings and violence between armed factions have become common. Thousands of Mexicans have disappeared amid the infighting, the AP reported.
Insider previously reported that it was unclear what medical procedures or medications the Americans had crossed to purchase. Relatives then told CNN and ABC News that the group traveled to Mexico for one of them to get a tummy tuck procedure.
For over a decade, Americans have traveled to Mexico for cheaper prescription drugs, such as Insulin, which can be thousands of dollars cheaper in Mexico, according to Kaiser Health News.
In 2015, the US federal government estimated that nearly 1 million Californians crossed into Mexico for health care reasons, including to buy medication.
However, one type of medication, in particular, has become increasingly sought after in recent months.Following the US Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, one Mexican abortion rights activist told Insider that American women were seeking abortion medication from Mexico on a daily basis.
FAQs
It's becoming more common for Americans to go searching for medication there. Four Americans were kidnapped after crossing the border to buy medication in Mexico. The kidnapping happened on March 3. On March 7, two were found alive and two deceased.
Why were the 4 American kidnapped in Mexico? ›
The attack came in broad daylight, with armed men ambushing the four friends not long after they crossed the US-Mexico border. Investigators believe the Americans were likely mistaken for Haitian drug smugglers, a US official familiar with the investigation previously told CNN.
Did 4 kidnapped Americans cross into Mexico to buy medicine? ›
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — Four Americans who traveled to Mexico last week to seek health care got caught in a deadly shootout and were kidnapped by heavily armed men who threw them in the back of a pickup truck, officials from both countries said Monday.
Why is kidnapping so common in Mexico? ›
Abductions are very common in Mexico, so much so that the country is known as the world's abduction capital. Cartels make no distinctions between nationality or purpose — their goals are frequently motivated by financial gain, power, and control. Mexico suffered a total of 8,552 abductions between 2015 and 2022.
Is the Mexican drug cartel linked to American abduction? ›
Alleged leader of the Gulf drug cartel, the gang that kidnapped and killed Americans, is captured in Mexico. Mexican marines detained one of the top leaders of the Gulf drug cartel, the gang that kidnapped four Americans and killed two of them in March 2023.
Who are the 4 suspects kidnapped in Mexico? ›
MORE: Everything we know about the kidnapping of 4 Americans in Mexico. The four kidnapped Americans -- Eric James Williams, Zindell Brown and cousins Latavia "Tay" McGee and Shaeed Woodard -- drove Friday morning into Matamoros, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas just south of Brownsville, Texas.
How many Americans are missing in Mexico? ›
The U.S. government appears to face a growing challenge in Mexico. The number of Americans reported disappeared and still missing rose from 324 in 2020 to 558 now, according to Mexican records — and that's almost certainly an undercount.
Where was American woman kidnapped in Mexico? ›
De Leon Barba's kidnapping led to family, friends pleading with President Biden. De Leon Barba was kidnapped in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico on November 22, 2022, as she was walking home from work with her dog.
What was the medical procedure the Americans went to Mexico for? ›
She and three of her closest friends — close enough that she called them brothers — had driven from South Carolina to Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas so that she could get a tummy tuck procedure.
Have recent kidnappings in Mexico brought attention to the medical tourism industry? ›
The kidnapping of four Americans who reportedly traveled to Mexico so one could undergo a “tummy tuck” has cast a spotlight on the booming medical-tourism business south of the U.S. border, where dental procedures, cosmetic surgeries, fertility treatments and even veterinary care are typically cheaper than those in the ...
Kidnapping rate - Country rankings
The highest value was in Belgium: 10.3 kidnappings per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0 kidnappings per 100,000 people.
Do cartels kidnap tourists? ›
It's rare for Americans to be kidnapped by cartels for ransom. He does warn of occasional "express kidnappings," which happen not just in Mexico but in other countries too. In this situation, a tourist who is likely drunk and wandering around downtown gets kidnapped, driven around to ATMs and forced to withdraw money.
What country has the highest kidnapping rate? ›
10 Countries with the Highest Rates of Kidnapping in the World*
| Country | Kidnappings |
|---|
| Turkey | 42.669 |
| Lebanon | 15.384 |
| Kuwait | 12.69 |
| Canada | 10.285 |
6 more rowsFour Americans were kidnapped shortly after crossing into Mexico earlier this month. Two survived the violent ordeal, while two members of the group died.
Are there still cartels in Mexico? ›
The cartels control increasingly large swathes of territory both in northern Mexico — their traditional base — and in southern states like Guerrero, Michoacan, Chiapas and Veracruz. It is unclear if peaceful coexistence was ever possible with Mexican drug gangs.
Who are the famous drug smugglers in Mexico? ›
Contents
- 2.1 Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardos.
- 2.2 Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria.
- 2.3 Amado Carrillo Fuentes.
- 2.4 Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
- 2.5 Osiel Cárdenas Guillén.
- 2.6 Jorge Alberto Rodriguez.
- 2.7 Marcola.
- 2.8 Griselda Blanco.
The four Americans traveled to the border from South Carolina for a cosmetic medical procedure, according to family. Four Americans were kidnapped shortly after crossing into Mexico earlier this month. Two survived the violent ordeal, while two members of the group died.
Who was the girl killed by friends in Mexico? ›
The death of Shanquella Robinson while on vacation in Mexico continues to draw widespread attention. Robinson — a 25-year-old Charlotte woman who worked as a hair braider and operator of The Exquisite Boutique — was traveling with a group of friends when she died in October.
What happened to Monica de Leon Barba? ›
Monica De Leon Barba, 40, was released from captivity on Friday, the FBI said in a news release. She had been held captive since she was kidnapped on Nov. 29 of last year while walking her dog home from work in Tepatitlán, Jalisco in western Mexico, federal authorities reported.
